That's What Friends Are For
by Naranne
Summary: After going through a bad break-up, Misty finds comfort in the last person she expected to show up on her doorstep: her elusive, travelling best friend, Ash Ketchum. One-sided Egoshipping, slight Pokeshipping. T for language. First fan-fic!


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokemon, or the song, Together Forever.

* * *

Misty clutched the windowsill, peering out into the gloomy storm that raged outside her home. The rain, the lightening, the thunder—all matched her current mood. Her glorious hair, deprived of its shine, hung limp by each side of her face, and her cerulean eyes were troubled and stormy, not their usual calm, bright, blue. Although her eyes betrayed the conflict within, her lips were set in a determined line that contradicted the confused emotion that shone through those orbs. Her heart might have been cracked and bleeding, but Misty considered herself too strong for tears—though she might be at a point where any other girl would be reduced to having their eyes overflow with moisture, her cheeks and eyes remained dry.

Grimacing, she released her hold on the wooden ledge, and turned her gaze away from the stormy view outside—one that reflected the storm _in_side. Casting an eye over her bedroom, Misty surveyed the damage wreaked by her the week before, when her anger had been at its strongest, and decided that she should probably attend to it sooner or later—her sisters were home, and had insisted that she let _them_ run the Gym for a while to give their younger sister a much needed break, so it was not as if she had anything better to do. However, like any teenager, soon after coming to that conclusion she consoled herself with the fact that as long as there was space enough to walk to the door, the bed, the dresser, and the cupboard, there was not _that_ much point in tidying up. Satisfied with that idea, she resigned herself to breaking her solitude and checking on her sisters. There was no telling how many badges they had literally given away without her supervision. Her stomach growled, reminding her it was lunchtime.

When Misty entered the kitchen, Violet was casually lounging against one of their white marble benches, admiring her recently done manicure. Misty raised an eye-brow. Wasn't Violet meant to be assisting Daisy in the Gym…? She walked further inside, toward the cupboard where they kept the bread and spreads; she reasoned that even _she_ couldn't make too many mistakes making a simple sandwich—after all, when her sisters had left, she had had to be at least basically self-sufficient.

Violet looked up when she noticed she was no longer alone, and smiled at Misty. "Like, hi, sis," she greeted her, "feeling better?"

Misty scowled at her, setting out two pieces of bread on a plate and getting the jam and a butter knife. "I'm fine. Always was."

Her older sister did not look convinced. "Totally. Like, you know, we've _all_ been through break-ups before. We can help you."

Misty felt her anger resurfacing—there had been a reason she had confined herself to her rooms except at mealtimes; she had _not_ wanted this sympathy from her sisters, who went through boyfriends as often as they went through clothes. "I _said_ I'm _fine_." Perhaps she spread the jam on a bit too viciously for her statement to be entirely convincing, she realised as she said to cover her slip: "Aren't you meant to be battling right now, anyway?"

She turned to her sister, and, balancing her plate on one hand, took a bite of her sandwich.

"Misty, _learn_ to be lady-like," Violet scolded, but without the heart of her usual jibes. "Daisy's doing great, and we all know I'm no star when it comes to, like, battling and stuff. Why give away badges? They're too pretty."

"Maybe you could learn something by watching her," she retorted around a mouthful of bread and jam.

Violet simply rolled her eyes at her 'un-ladylike' behavior. Misty was saved from enduring another poor comeback full of 'like' and 'totally' by the annoyingly repetitive _ring-ring-ring, ring-ring-ring, phone call, phone call_ that signalled an incoming video call. Misty scowled again, grabbing her plate and leaving the kitchen to make her way back to her room—whoever it was, she did _not_ want to speak to them. Violet ran—_very ladylike, running_, Misty thought sarcastically—out of the kitchen to pick up the phone, most likely hoping that it was another admirer of the Sensational Sisters that would fawn over her. However, Misty did not escape soon enough.

"Misty, it's for you!" Violet called.

Misty paused, halfway out of the kitchen. "Tell them I'm busy."

"Misty, please."

"I _told_ you I don't want to speak to anybody! No matter who they are!" she yelled.

Then, faintly, she heard someone say hopefully, "Is that her?"

The voice was all too familiar, and Misty's face took on an expression of pain before she mastered it. All the emotion and memories she had repressed for the last week came rushing back to her in one blast, and it was all Misty could do not to run into the lounge-room and punch the video-phone. The only thing that stopped her was the fact that she knew punching a glass screen would only hurt her, not him. _I _want_ my mallet,_ Misty thought angrily. _That'd show him, the bastard._

She heard her sister say, "I'll be back", and heard footsteps leading back toward her from the lounge-room.

Misty stomped back into the kitchen, slamming her plate down onto the bench with much more force than was strictly necessary. She tried without much success to control her anger and school her features, but when that fell through, she settled for folding her arms and trying to look as angry as humanly possible—a feat she _did_ manage quite well.

That was when Violet appeared. "Like, please, Misty? I know it's hard, but maybe you can at least sort it out peacefully."

"Fine," she snapped. "I'll talk to him, for all the good it'll do."

The video phone was only a short walk away, so Misty had no time to think of anything to say while she walked between kitchen and lounge-room. The face on the screen was one she knew too well, one she had hoped never to see again (for all she knew that was impossible), and the way his dark eyes lit up when they saw her made her heart pound painfully in her chest.

"Misty," he said, and for a moment, the tone in his voice made her half believe that the events of the week before had been purely fictional, and everything was as it should be. He was the same as she remembered him—spiky brown hair that was always immaculate, the necklace he always wore hanging around his neck, and those dark eyes that bore the tender expression he reserved only for her. Then she remembered that this time, he was not the same person she had fallen for, but instead was someone who had caused her much heartache.

"Gary," she spat, her eyes coming alight with anger. She remembered her sister's words, saying that perhaps it would turn out better after all, and tried to calm herself.

"Misty, look, I really wanted to talk to you; it's all been one big mistake." His words came out in a rush, all tumbled together. This was not the confident Gary Oak that Misty knew; this Gary was nervous and scared, but still she wondered whether that was all an act, designed to rope her back in.

"Oh, really?" She fought to keep her tone light. "I wonder when you realised that. Was it at the very start? Was that why you took it up with that other girl?"

"She never meant anything to me," he protested. "I didn't love her! Only you—she was a one-night-stand at the most. A fan girl, nothing more."

"And what am I, you lying, cheating, bastard?" she snarled. "Just a pretty red haired bauble to hang off your arm?"

With that, his tender expression vanished, and Misty knew the purpose of today's phone call might originally have been to make amends with her, but now in all likelihood it was just so that Gary Oak's pristine reputation might be preserved. "To be honest, if I just wanted a bauble, I could have done a lot better," he sneered. "Only Ashy-boy gets the scrawny runts."

"You asshole! How _dare_ you!"

"How dare I what? Insult your dearest darling Ash? And you accuse _me_ of cheating. I bet you never loved me—was it all just an interim thing while you waited for him to notice you?" he spat, resorting to the taunting, arrogant manner of his youth.

"You were the one that had the months long affair with your pretty fawning fan girl while I was still completely clueless, thinking you loved me with all your heart!"

"If it makes you feel better, Misty," Gary said venomously, "I _did_ love you. But I stopped once I noticed that you were the one that never loved _me_. While Ashy-boy is off saving the world, his pretty little maiden is having a fling with his long time rival! I wonder how he'll feel, when he comes home to discover this."

"Chances are he'll be pretty bloody angry when he finds out that you cheated on me! Because you know what, Gary, he's my _best friend_. Something you could never claim, even when we were together."

"Is it final, then? Is this it, Misty? Your 'best friend' over your boyfriend?"

"You're not my boyfriend, and yes it is final, Gary. I'll tell you something right now. _I hate you._ You're a liar, a cheat, and a womanizer, and I hope you're _never_ happy with _anyone_." Misty was absolutely seething now, but she wanted to show him one more thing while she had him on the phone. She pulled out the chain of the necklace he had given her when he asked her out, the one she had promised she would keep always. She unclipped it, and with shaking hands, pulled, snapping the fragile chain. Gary winced. "I can't be bought, Gary. Find someone who bloody well can, and leave me alone!"

Angry tears sparking in her eyes, Misty viciously slammed the phone down, and Gary Oak's image winked out, leaving a black screen that reflected her picture back at her. Misty's hands were shaking now, with rage, and a little—though she was ashamed to admit it—with suppressed tears. She was _not_ her sisters. She would not cry over a mere boy. No matter how much he may have hurt her. She ran a hand through her messy red hair, feeling how lacklustre it was, and noticing how rundown she felt; she must have let herself fall into disrepair more than even she had imagined. She knew she had not been taking care of herself the way she should, but after what had happened the week before, she had needed _something_ to blame it all on, apart from Gary himself. Her looks had been commended by many as she grew older; indeed, the more she thought about it, the more she had thought that her looks were the only reason Gary had ever been interested in her. And so, she had let herself fall into disrepair, thinking that perhaps if she were not as pretty, if her hair did not shine, then she would avoid the kind of man that was Gary Oak.

Now, she had to admit to herself that perhaps that particular approach had not helped anything.

Misty turned around when she heard her sisters call her name. All three stood in the doorway of the lounge-room; Daisy had evidently finished her battle, and Dewgong trailed her, looking at Misty with large, sad, eyes. Daisy was the first to break the silence that followed, as it was clear that all three had heard the argument between Misty and Gary, and just as clear that all of them were finding it hard to come to terms with what had really happened—Misty had never been forthcoming with the details, so they had never known that he had cheated her.

"Are you ok, Misty?" Daisy ventured.

"Fine," she replied curtly, walking over to and settling herself in the comfortable blue armchair that was her favourite. Her sisters followed, each perching on one of the armchairs that they dragged around where Misty sat, her head in one hand and anger still boiling beneath the surface. She sighed, and looked at each of them in turn. "What is it?"

"Like, we never knew, Misty," Lily started, sympathy in her eyes. "We thought you'd just moved on."

Misty grunted noncommittally. "Figures. How many boys do you three go through?" she asked, giving them pointed looks.

Daisy, at least, had the decency to blush, but she did not dwell on the topic for more than a moment, all that it took for her to deny the accusation. Then she started on Misty again, leaning forward. "Is there anything we can do? I mean, we totally look like weaklings, but…" she left it hanging, and the unfinished sentence was somehow more menacing than an actual threat.

Misty actually had to stifle a laugh. _I guess my violent tendencies had to have rubbed off on them some time or other,_ she thought. "Daisy, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Daisy sounded surprised—and a little disappointed that she didn't get to carry out the threat. For once, Misty was glad she had three older sisters who cared about her. "Will you at least tell us what happened?"

Misty shrugged, sure that she was numb to reliving what had led to her relationship crumbling, after having just recently talked to the culprit.

And so she began to speak.

***

_Misty grinned and adjusted her necklace, glad of the invitation to Pallet by Mrs. Ketchum and Professor Oak, as it gave her a chance to see a very special someone. Not that she wasn't glad of the engagement everyone had been suspecting was coming for years, but she was a teenager, and like any other teenager, the thought of an opportunity to spend time alone with her sweetheart was a thought that considerably brightened her mood. _

_She had been in Pallet for two days already, and Mrs. Ketchum had been kind enough to allow her to stay at her house; even though Ash was away, Misty was always a welcome guest at the Ketchum residence—she even had a room specifically reserved just for her. It was the morning of her third day in Pallet, the day she was due to return to Cerulean, and so Mrs. Ketchum and the Professor had gone out, leaving Misty and Gary alone. _

_Though she hated to think that she was taking advantage of their absence, she knew the older couple fully supported her own relationship, and did not mind that she wished to spend some time with Gary before she was due back in Cerulean. The thought quickened her step as she made the short journey from Ash's house to Professor Oak's lab, where Gary stayed. Tracey was out on an errand for the Professor, collecting supplies and looking out for a few extra treats for the enormous amount of Pokémon they cared for. _

_The lab was as she remembered it; she did not think it had changed since her childhood, since the first time she had arrived there so many years ago with Ash. The thought of Ash travelling in the Sinnoh region—without her—still made her slightly upset; he was her best friend, it was only natural that she miss him when he was away, after all. It did not occur to her that the feelings for him that she had thought forgotten might still be there, somewhere, hidden in some dark corner of her heart, buried by the feelings brought on by the new romance with Gary. _

_She reached the front door and knocked twice, then stepped back while she waited for a response. _

_Misty did not have to wait long before the door opened to reveal Gary, grinning from ear to ear as he took in her appearance. He held out his arms to her invitingly, and she closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his neck. She smiled up at him and he planted a quick kiss on her lips. When they parted, he said, "It's great to see you, Misty."_

"_Good to see you, too," she replied, and he laughed as she pulled him inside. _

_The afternoon proceeded like any other; Misty enjoyed herself, although she noticed that as the afternoon wore on, Gary grew more and more agitated. She shrugged this off—explanations presented themselves to her at once. Perhaps he was anxious to see when the Professor would return? He had been out longer than the two adults had said, after all. She did not want to entertain the thought that reminded her that Gary had never before cared whether his grandfather returned at the appointed time or not—often he liked it when that happened, as it gave him more time with Misty. _

_However, a short while later, she was greeted with the reason for Gary's increased agitation. _

_They were sprawled out on the couch, laughing and teasing each other, and going through old photos of the times they had all spent traveling—even thought at that point Ash and Gary had been enormous rivals. Then, Misty heard a knock at the front door. _

"_Should I…?" Misty asked._

"_Nah, it's probably Gramps," Gary replied, but Misty noticed a tense edge in his voice. _

Why would the Professor knock?_ Misty wondered silently, although she decided against voicing her question out loud. _

_It was then that she heard _her_ voice for the first time. _

"_Gary, sweet, are you in there?" _

_Misty felt him stiffen within the circle of her arms. Her face hardened. That was _not_ a voice she recognized—who was it? "Sweet"—what on Earth? Some relative she had never met before? She relaxed momentarily, as she considered this conclusion, but she knew that it was not true. _

"_Sweetheart?"_

_Misty started to get up, but Gary put his arm out to stop her. "I'll get it," he said, with a tone in his voice she didn't recognize—nerves?_

"_I think I'll come," she replied, her suspicions growing. She really wanted to know who this stranger was, and why they insisted on calling Gary 'sweetheart' and 'sweet'. _

"_No, Misty—"_

"_What's wrong, Gary?" She smiled up at him innocently. "Don't you want me to meet your friend?"_

"_She's not my f—"_

"_Good! Then why don't we _both_ go and see who it is? Stupid telemarkters."_

_Gary must have caught the sarcastic, biting edge to her tone, for he complied, if reluctantly. Misty walked quickly ahead of him, anxious to see who on Earth was at the door, and find out what was going on. She reached the front door ahead of her boyfriend, who lagged behind, as if ashamed of what lay on the other side. _

_Misty tugged, and the door swung open noiselessly. And that was the first time she saw her; the girl that Gary had been cheating on her with, the one directly—or indirectly, Misty found she did not care—responsible for all the heartache she was to feel in the time that would follow. _

***

Misty blinked to clear her eyes of the shameful tears. She would _not _cry in front of her sisters. There was nothing worse, in Misty's eyes, than showing such weakness. She wasn't a complete clone like each perfect doll that sat in front of her; she would not conform to the stereotype that said each girl must be a wreck following a disastrous break-up; she _would_ be Misty, she would be strong. It didn't matter that it hurt, _it doesn't matter that it hurts_, was a mantra she repeated to herself over and over; _he was the one that lied, he's not deserving of me. _She knew it sounded self-centered, yet she could not think of any other comforting phrase.

She looked into the eyes of each of her three sisters, and for once, she saw only sympathy and understanding; the mocking, superior expressions they usually adorned when dealing with their "runt" of a sister were absent. Daisy especially seemed concerned; in recent times Daisy had been the only one of her sisters that Misty had felt any level of connection toward--she had actually seemed to come out of her valley-girl persona and become a real person. Momentarily, Misty felt bad for purposely ignoring and spurning her sister's concerns. Then she realised that she had just disclosed to her three sisters more of what she was feeling than she ever had before--she blushed, and made to get up and leave, but was stopped by a question from Daisy.

"Misty, this wouldn't all have had anything to with, like, Ash, would it?" she probed gently.

Misty did a double take. "A-Ash? Why bring him up?"

Daisy got up and walked to where Misty stood, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You, like, never forgot how you felt about him, did you?"

She faltered. "I...." Misty sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "He's my best friend," she said to no-one in particular. "But he's got _May_, and _Dawn_, and.. who knows who else. And why should I not forget? It's not like he ever - ugh. Never mind."

She turned, realising she might have sounded too abrupt, given that her sisters had actually taken the time to listen to her problem. "Um, thanks, guys. But I - I might head up to my room. Got some stuff to do," she finished vaguely.

"Like, no problem, Misty," her sisters chorused all at once.

Misty waved in their direction before heading out the door, out of sight.

***

Once she was sure Misty was out of earshot (as well as out of sight), Daisy turned from her study of the empty doorway left in Misty's wake to contemplate her two other sisters. Though she knew Violet and Lily were as concerned for their fierce younger sister as she was, she also knew they had a funny way of showing it, and knew that with the way they had been treating Misty all their lives, they were finding it harder to accept her than Daisy herself was. She watched them as they argued heatedly about a new hair styling product, to all appearances already having forgotten Misty's plight. Daisy knew they cared, yet she had a feeling that Misty would not be as open toward them as she was toward her, so she realized that if anyone were going to do anything to cheer up the youngest Waterflower, it would have to be her.

So it was that Daisy began to formulate her plan. Their phonebook was kept in the set of draws that the table which had the video-phone rested on, and written in its pages was the number that Daisy needed. Without a second glance at the bickering Violet and Lily, she left the loungeroom, and was soon rifling through the pages of their much abused address-book.

Mentally chastising herself for writing the numbers down in random order, not alphabetically or in any other sensible fashion, for it made her task that much harder, she _finally_ found the number she was searching for. Resisting the urge to shout "Aha!" upon finding it, she put her finger on the name as she reached for the phone and begun to dial the number.

The book was left open with one side of the page doggy-eared. One name stood out at the very top of the page.

_Ash Ketchum._

***

A certain raven-haired trainer was surprised, to say the least, when his Poketech (a Christmas gift from his mother the previous year) went off, and the display flashed up at him the name: _Waterflower Residence_.

He answered; "Hi, this is Ash. Is that M--?"

"Daisy," she cut him off.

Ash was mildly surprised (and disappointed) to find that he had received a call from Misty's home and that he was not, in fact, Misty that he was speaking to.

"Daisy?" he asked. "What is it? Is Misty OK? Can I speak to her?"

"Whoa, like, slow down," came the reply from the other end. "It's, like, about Misty..."

That got Ash's immediate attention. "What's happened?"

"She totally needs you to come cheer her up. I can't tell you all of it, like, obviously because it's not my thing to tell. But her and Gary broke up, and she's totally cut. She's not like her anymore; she's not Misty. I think, like, only her little boyfriend can come cheer her up now."

"I'm not her boyfriend," he stated simply, hoping the bitter edge in his voice wasn't _too_ noticeable.

He could practically hear her roll her eyes. "That's _totally_ not the point, Ash! You need to come to Cerulean, like, right away! Will you?"

While he had been listening to her talk, a number of emotions had begun to surface. Worry and concern for Misty were certainly there in force, but the emotion that reared its ugly head the most was anger--if he had put his rivalry and hatred of Gary behind him, now was most definitely the time to start afresh. He hung up the phone, before promising to Daisy that he would do as she asked of him. Pikachu, from his usual place perched on his master's shoulder, chattered at him anxiously, from which he could discern a few key things: Pikachu was worried, and was anxious to see Misty and cheer up his Pikachupi.

Ash pulled his jacket tighter about him, and made his way back through the small thicket of trees in which they were camped to find Brock sitting about a hastily prepared campfire, cooking, and Dawn lounging on the ground watching her Pokemon scamper around near her.

Brock looked up when Ash came closer, and concern flickered across his features at the angry expression Ash bore. He paused in stirring the steaming pot to regard his younger friend with a quizzical look. "What's the matter?"

"I just got a call from Daisy; you know, Misty's sister?"

A glazed expression immediately stole its way across Brock's face. "I know her... she gets more beautiful every time I see her! If only she weren't with Tracey... Maybe her other sisters are single, still! Do you think I have a chance, Ash?"

Despite his anger and concern over Misty, Ash could not help but laugh at Brock's antics. However, he sobered up quickly. "Snap out of it, Brock. It's about Misty."

As Ash had anticipated, the mention of something being wrong with their old friend immediately pulled Brock out of "pretty girl mode" as it had been termed long ago. Before he had a chance to question him, however, Ash had said: "I'm going to Cerulean."

Brock now devoted his entire attention to what Ash was saying, as Ash relayed everything Daisy had said--minus the speech impediment. Dawn was now sitting up and paying attention, even though the blue-haired coordinator had never met Misty in person. When he had finished, Brock said simply; "It's a good thing we are much closer than she thinks, then, isn't it?"

Ash nodded. Indeed, they were _much_ closer than Daisy thought; the trio were currently camped outside Saffron, as Dawn had expressed a wish to compete in the Kanto contests.

"Will you go on ahead, or shall we all go together?" Brock asked. Dawn watched the two of them, not knowing whether she should comment or not.

"I'm going to go on ahead; you guys don't have to come. Dawn, you don't have to interrupt getting your ribbons for this."

Brock nodded. "It's okay. I'd like to come, but Dawn needs someone to show her around Kanto. Make sure you say hello to all of them for me. How will you get there? I got the impression Daisy wanted you to come ASAP."

Ash grinned. "I think it's time for a reunion with a fiery old friend of ours; Charizard."

***

Ash arrived at the Cerulean Gym early the next morning, after stopping quickly for the night in the Poke Centre to rest up Charizard and to catch a quick night's sleep. As it was still relatively early, there were no challengers, and Ash found this a hurdle to gaining entrance--in the time since he had last visited, they had obviously been able to afford to hire a few people to help out with the more mundane, day to day things. One such person was the girl who manned the box at the front door; she was adamant that he should not be let inside.

"I _told_ you," he repeated, for what seemed like the millionth time, "I'm here to see Misty--I'm an old friend of hers! Or at least, let me in to speak to one of her sisters!"

"I'm sorry," came the same, irritated response. "Misty does not accept challengers this early in the morning, and the Sensational Sisters are not signing autographs today."

Ash was about to give up, or alternatively ask Charizard to fry the girl, or Pikachu to electricute her, or both. It was at that moment that an annoyed looking Daisy stepped into sight. "Like, let him in, already!" she demanded. Even though it was early, her appearance was already immaculate. Ash had never been more grateful for the arrival of one of Misty's sisters.

"Y-yes, Miss Waterflower," the girl stammered. The glass doors slid open at the press of a button, and after returning Charizard to his Pokeball, Ash followed Daisy inside, as she had quickly rushed out to greet him. The girl stared after them as they walked inside, apparantly shocked that one of the Waterflower sisters had let a "fan" in this early in the morning. It was a breach of normal protocol, Ash supposed.

Once they were out of the girl's earshot, Daisy apologized quickly for her refusal to let him in.

"Through here," Daisy said as she led him past the Gym's stadium, pool, and foyer, to what he could only assume was their living quarters. Ash stared unashamedly; he had never been past the Gym's pool, and had no idea of what kind of house the Waterflower sisters kept.

"Like, hurry up!" Daisy scolded, when Ash stopped to look quickly at some photos that adorned a mantlepiece. He quickly followed her, fearing that perhaps Misty's infamous temper had run "Misty's just woken up, I think... Are you sure you want to see her right now?" They had stopped just outside the kitchen, so Daisy lowered her voice a little.

Ash nodded, before turning to where Pikachu should have been, following at his heels. The electric yellow mouse, however, was nowhere to be seen. Ash turned frantically on the spot, wondering where on Earth Pikachu could have disappeared to. It was then that he heard Daisy gasp, heard the patter of little feet on tiles, and a loud: "_Pikachupi!_"

***

Misty was sure she was dreaming as, whilst carefully buttering two pieces of toast, she saw a telltale flash of yellow as an adorable electric rodent came speeding into the kitchen. She did a double take, sure her eyes were playing hideously cruel tricks on her. Despite her being positive that she was dreaming, that this could not be happening, it was confirmed when that same yellow blur squealed, "Pikachupi!" and jumped into her arms, nuzzling her.

"Pikachu?" Misty asked, dumbfounded. The Pokemon in question chattered at her happily as she absentmindedly stroked its fur. Her brain, apparently, was slow that morning, as it took her a few seconds before it processed the inevitable. _If Pikachu is here, then so is..._

_Ash._

It was, of course, precisely that moment that Ash chose to enter the kitchen.

She stared at him in shock, her eyes unable to believe what they were taking in. He had not changed all that much since she had last seen him; his clothes had changed, but his face was still the same. His raven coloured hair was still untidy and untameable, still made her fingers itch to run through it and smooth it down; his eyes were still that same chocolate brown that betrayed every emotion so much more clearly than the rest of his face. Pikachu jumped from her arms to stand by its trainer, and Misty was left standing there, still frozen to the spot. She shook her head slightly, still so sure it was a dream. That was, until he spoke.

"Hey, Misty," he said, somewhat awkwardly, but it shattered the dream-like silence nonetheless.

"A-Ash?" she stammered. "Why are you here? Where's Brock and -- Dawn?" If he noticed she choked up slightly on the last name, he did not say anything or give any indication otherwise that he had noticed.

He gave her a quizzical look. "I came to see you. Brock and Dawn are still in Saffron."

"Are you sure?"

"Is it that hard to believe that I actually came here to see you?"

He smirked, as if inviting her to argue with him, as they had so many times when they were younger. Indeed, his smirk made Misty want to wipe it off his face with a well placed hit. Instead, overcome with the shock of seeing him again and unable to believe that he was actually there, she did something she never would have done normally (and probably only did at that moment because her brain was still half-asleep, and so, unable to register the full implications of her actions).

She hugged him.

***

Ash stayed at Cerulean Gym for two weeks. Brock and Dawn came to visit five days after he arrived, but did not stay, as Dawn moved on to her next contest, and Brock, again filling that big-brother role he had so often filled when Misty and Ash were younger, had opted to stay with her, as he had seen that there was nothing he could do for Misty that Ash could not. Throughout the time that he was there, Violet, Lily, and Daisy began to see a noticable improvement in Misty. She laughed, smiled, and joked; she became more of her old self again, something that had been sorely missed in the Waterflower household for the week in between the break-up and Ash's arrival.

Misty loved having Ash around again; her three sisters were often out, but they reasoned (though they didn't inform Misty of this) that so soon after a break-up, nothing was likely to happen, and so they felt safe leaving Ash and Misty at the Gym by themselves. Daisy organized for there to be a two week break from all shows and battles, due to "family reasons".

Ash and Misty spent the time reminiscing about the days when they and Brock had travelled together around Kanto and Johto, and when they had travelled with Tracey around the Orange Islands. Naturally, time was devoted to speculation of what had happened with Professor Ivy that had caused Brock to clam up whenever her name was mentioned, for to that day he had not disclosed that information.

It was on the third day of the second week that Ash noticed a change in himself and Misty's attitudes towards one another. Misty still had not told him the full story of what had reduced her to such an awful state, yet he had not pressed her for details, as he didn't want to upset her further, now that she was behaving much like her old self again. They had even argued, once or twice, a "sure sign of normalcy" as Brock had put it, when Ash had rung him, slightly frustrated over what had occurred.

The older Waterflower sisters were out--shopping, as Daisy insisted she needed a new dress for her upcoming date with Tracey. Misty had uncovered the scrapbook of photos that she had meant to give to Ash some time ago; it held photos of their travels, and, toward the end, the last day they had travelled together. They were sitting side by side on the couch, with the scrapbook between them. They laughed over photos such as the numerous times they had vanquished Team Rocket. Soon, however, they reached the last pages of the scrapbook, and the reality of Misty's situation hit her. She was not just taking a break; Ash wouldn't be staying with her long--he would return to travelling and she to managing the Gym.

A slightly uncomfortable silence ensued as Misty trailed her fingers over the last page, where it held a photo of herself, Brock, and Ash at Mt. Silver. To her great embarrassment, she noticed there were tearstains on the page, smudging the ink of the note she had written underneath the photo. She tried to hide them with her fingers--Ash could _never_ know she'd cried over leaving them!

"Do you remember that promise we made, Misty?" he asked suddenly, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" she replied eloquently.

"Where I said that we'd always see each other again?"

Her eyes were downcast. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, it's true, isn't it? Even if we're apart for ages, we always seem to catch up and see each other again." He smiled at her.

Misty was surprised; was this really Ash speaking? He sounded (dare she think it) sweet, almost. She couldn't help smiling in return.

Surprising even himself, as Misty leant back against the couch, he casually draped an arm about her shoulders. She stiffened, a myriad of thoughts whirring through her mind in quick succession. Then she relaxed, and, though she was slightly unsure of what he meant by this breaking of their careful, unspoken no-contact rule, she leaned into his side. The scrapbook was nudged out of the way by her knee as she cuddled closer, and it fell to the floor, opening on a random page that showed a photo of Misty and Ash after they had just met.

Neither of them felt the need to mention what had just occurred; Misty found an odd source of comfort in having him so close. A warm feeling in her heart, which she had thought long buried, long forgotten, began to stir, as their amiable talk picked up once more.

***

It was the day after that she finally told him the story of what had happened.

He listened to her patiently as she retold it, feeling his anger toward Gary grow more and more as she continued to talk. Somehow they ended up the same as the day before: cuddled up together on the couch, as Misty told him more of what she had been feeling than she ever had before. She only choked up when she came to retelling the conversation that herself and Gary had had over the phone before Ash had arrived. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she recalled the last things they had shouted at each other, and how Ash had been brought up in the conversation. When she finished, he gave her a moment to collect herself before speaking.

"He _is_ wrong, you know."

Misty turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not angry at you; andI _am_ your best friend. You were right."

And then, for no reason at all, he childishly stuck his tongue out at her.

She laughed, feeling the bitterness over Gary evaporate. The saying was right, she decided -- laughter _was_ the best medicine. Then something struck her. She burst into fresh laughter, completely confusing Ash. He shot her a confused look, as if to ask, _What?_

"You just admitted that I was right! You've never, ever, done that before!"

Ash looked completely bewildered, before realization began to dawn. "Oh, yeah... Wait! No, I didn't admit you were right, I just said Gary was wrong! That's not fair!"

"I believe your exact words were, 'You were right'!"

Misty flopped backwards onto the arm of the couch, shaking with laughter. "Does this mean that all those other times, you actually did think I was right?"

"No!" he protested. "I was always right!"

"Were not!"

"Yes I was!"

"Weren't!"

"Was!"

"Were _not_! What about when we always got lost?"

"Hey! That's not fair!"

She looked at him through her bangs, still laughing. "I'm right, and you know it!"

"Oh yeah?" he protested, childishly.

Misty's calculating gaze raked over him. Feeling that everything was once again right with the world, now that their easy friendship had been restored, she decided to settle the matter of right and wrong once and for all. She launched herself at him, tackling him off the couch. Ash was slightly surprised, and it took him a moment to retaliate, thanking several Gods that he knew Misty was not keeping her infamous mallet with her at that present time. Laughing, he managed to pin her to the ground.

Smirking down at her, he said, "I _think _I win."

***

The guest room where the Waterflower sisters had so kindly allowed Ash to stay was down the corridor from Misty's room, and so, walking to bed every night, Ash routinely went past Misty's room and checked on her. Most of the time, she was asleep, having gone to bed before himself; once, he had been yelled at and told, in no uncertain terms, to respect a girl's privacy (at which he had grinned, because this was a sure sign Misty was herself again), and once, she had not been in her room, so he had hurriedly moved on, lest he be caught "invading her privacy".

On the second-last night before he was due to leave, however, he was making his way to the guestroom, as per usual, when he stopped at Misty's door. The door was painted blue, much like the rest of her room, and on the front hung a sign proclaiming the name of the inhabitant, as well as a large picture of a Tentacool and a Horsea. The doorknob was silver, and never locked, something he felt slightly guilty for knowing. However, his reasoning was sound: since he'd never actually done anything untoward to Misty, why should such knowledge be kept from him? He paused momentarily. Had he heard something?

Pikachu tugged at his leg, begging his master to not bother Misty and quickly go to the guestroom.

Ash motioned for Pikachu to not make any sound, but ignored his relentless tugging. Obviously understanding his master was being stubborn, something Pikachu muttered about under his breath, he left Ash, not willing to face the infamous wrath of Misty. Ash laughed quietly as his ever-so-faithful Pokemon scampered away to his bed and dreams of ketchup.

Ash listened quietly at the door. Sure enough, he had not been imagining things--he _had_ heard something. And it sounded like... a sob? Could Misty be _crying_? But he was sure she had managed to put it all behind her for the most part, enough to stop anything like this--had he been wrong?

Tentatively, he pushed open the door.

Misty lay on her bed, curled up on her side, the covers pulled up to her chin. When a shaft of light -- however dim -- penetrated the darkness of her room, she immediately looked up, scrubbing her eyes with her hands. Her cerulean eyes were puffy and bloodshot; she had been crying. When she noticed who it was that had opened her door, her gaze immediately hardened. "What are you _doing_?!" she nearly screeched.

Ash instantly felt extremely guilty for coming into her room unannounced. "I came to check on you?" His excuse sounded particularly feeble, even to his own ears.

"Couldn't you have waited until morning?! There's nothing wrong with me!"

For a moment, he felt as if Pikachu might have been the wise one. "But, I heard - I thought you might have been upset, so I came in to see if you were alright," he stammered.

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm fine."

Ash, apparantly, was still too dense to realise when he was treading on dangerous ground. "I heard you crying."

"I was _not_ crying!"

Oh yes; he was definitely treading on _very_ dangerous ground. Hadn't he learned, over all those years, that Misty's was very touchy when it came to her pride? -- Apparantly not. He took a step closer to her bed, shutting the door behind him.

The room was swallowed in darkness, until Misty's bedside light came suddenly on.

"What do you think you're doing? Coming into my room without permission, closing the door behind you, shutting out _all _the light!"

"Misty - calm _down. _I just came to see if you were alright! I'm not allowed to care?"

Her gaze softened slightly, although her tone of voice did not.

"Fine," Misty snapped. She sat up, crossing her arms and drawing her knees to her chest.

There was ample room on the end of the bed for him to sit, and he moved closer; taking her silence as permission for him to sit on the edge of her bed, although still some distance from her, so as not to seem inappropriate. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, until Misty yawned, and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you sure you were okay?" he pressed gently.

"No --" she collected herself rapidly. "I mean, yes, of course!"

A moment passed, and she rested her head on her folded arms, so her face was hidden. "NoIwasn'tokay." Her words were all rushed together; as if she were ashamed of admitting any weakness. Her fabulous hair swung as she snapped her head up. "Why do you care, anyway?" she demanded.

Ash's response was calm, as he knew that letting himself be provoked into an argument would not get him anywhere with her, when she was like this. "Because I'm your best friend. So I care about you. That's what friends are for, right?"

Misty smiled. "Right."

He reached over and rubbed her shoulder in what was meant to be a soothing gesture. _But with Misty, you never know,_ he thought wryly. "It'll be okay, just you wait," he said, attempting to cheer her up. "'Time heals all wounds'. And hey, Pikachu's electricity has been running high lately. Maybe I need to find an outlet for it." Ash grinned at her.

Despite herself, she laughed, finding the image of a Gary fried by one of Pikachu's powerful Thunderbolts highly amusing. "Save a bit for me?"

"Naturally," he replied. "Wouldn't be the same without a decent whack from your mallet to send him flying into orbit."

Misty laughed again, but this time her laugh was accompanied by a yawn. "You should go to sleep," he said gently. "Don't think about it all too much, okay?"

She nodded, and he moved off the end of the bed so that she could stretch out her legs and lie down again. "Do you want me to stay or...?"

Misty looked at him a moment and shrugged, an oddly indescive gesture for one usually so strongwilled and forthright with her opinion. She flicked off the lightswitch as Ash made himself comfortable sitting on the floor beside her bed, figuring that he would at least stay until he was sure she was asleep, so he could make sure she was alright. There was the sound of rustling sheets and covers and Misty made herself comfortable; Ash leaned his head back against the side of her bed, resting his neck, which had begun to ache slightly.

Some time passed, and after a while, Misty's breathing evened out into a peaceful rhythm. Ash took this to mean that she was asleep, and so, deciding he had better leave before her sisters began to think something was afoot, he stood up. As he was about to walk away, however, a hand shot out from underneath the covers, and, with suprising accuracy given the lack of lighting, grabbed hold of his wrist. He turned.

"Stay," Misty mumbled sleepily. Ash chuckled softly to himself, but he obliged, sinking down to the floor once more. However, the hold on his wrist did not slacken, and when he slid his hand down to grasp hers and weave his fingers through hers she did not object. Leaning sideways against her bed, his knees drawn up to his chest, he rested their intertwined hands atop her covers. Resisting the sudden, inexplicable urge to kiss her hand, he let his eyes slide shut as Misty's breathing sank into the deep, slow, rhythm of sleep.

***

Ash and Pikachu stood on the back doorstep of Cerulean Gym, Brock and Dawn behind them. The two weeks of his stay had come to an end, and he found it was definitely bittersweet. Sweet, yes; Misty had, to all appearances, made a full comeback, and was once again her usual, bubbly, argumentative, playful self; there was, of course, that shift in their relationship to consider, and Ash found himself pondering what could have changed and when it _had_ changed. But it was bitter also, for all partings must be, and though he knew that they wouldn't be separated for such a lengthy period again, as the three travellers would be in Kanto for some time and another visit was inevitable, he could not help but feel sad at leaving her for any length of time. Before his stay, perhaps there had been one fact he would not have admitted to himself. But now, he could freely admit (though not out loud, or to anyone else for that matter; the thought of that made his throat clench up and go dry) that at some point, Misty had ceased holding only the place of his best friend within his heart, and had instead become something more.

Misty herself, Daisy, Violet, and Lily stood on the opposite side of the threshold.

Misty was chatting to Brock and Dawn, introducing herself to the younger girl and catching up with all the things she had missed with Brock, in between teasing him about still not having grown out of his pursuing any pretty girl in sight. Ash was slightly aside, talking to the older Waterflowers, who all thanked him for being able to cheer up their little sister, where all their attempts had failed.

Eventually, however, it became clear that the growing line of waiting challengers and adoring fans that stood outside the front doors could no longer be ignored, and the seven friends had to part ways.

Brock, having held himself in check until the very last minute, was making a last-ditch effort to convince either Violet or Lily that he really, truly, was worthy of their attention... and perhaps they should join him for pizza that night? Dawn stood by, laughing at her older friend, which left Ash and Misty, for the moment, free from the other five gathered around.

"I guess it's goodbye for now, huh, Ash," Misty said, meeting his eyes.

"Yeah... we'll be around though -- and when you least expect us, too!" He mimed an effort to sneak into a house unseen, which reminded Misty largely of Team Rocket; she laughed, and informed him of that, to which he laughed as well.

"You're still such a kid!" she joked.

He rubbed a hand across the back of his head sheepishly. "So what?" he replied.

"Well... goodbye for now, then, Ash," she said, a little sadly.

"I'll see you 'round, Misty."

And then he did something that she never would have expected, not in a hundred years.

He hugged her.

***

_You've been such a good friend  
I've known you since I don't know when  
We've got a lot of friends,  
But they come and go  
Even though we've never said it,  
There's something that the two of us both know_

_Together, forever no matter how long  
From now, until the end of time  
We'll be together, and you can be sure  
That forever and a day  
That's how long we'll stay  
Together and forever more_

_Always gone that extra mile  
Depended on you all the while  
Even in the good and bad times  
You will see  
From now until our journey's end  
You know you can always count on me_

_Together, forever no matter how long  
From now, until the end of time  
We'll be together, and you can be sure  
That forever and a day  
That's how long we'll stay  
Together and forever more_

_No matter where our destiny leads  
I'll be there for you, always come through  
And that you can believe_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Well, there you have it, folks! My first fanfiction! ^.^

I'm not so sure about how it turned out, but I guess it's up to you guys, the readers, to tell me what you thought of it!

And for those of you who didn't pick it up, the song at the end is, of course, Together Forever from the album, 2.B.A Master :D Doesn't add much to the story, but it can be about any of Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu; in this case, Ash and Misty.

- Naranne.


End file.
